Harmful Effects of Passive Smoking

You don't have to be a smoker for smoking to harm you. You can also have health problems from breathing in other people's smoke. The health effects of passive smoking are as serious and debilitating as smoking itself. High in toxic chemicals, secondhand smoke (combination of smoke that comes from the burning end of a cigarette, cigar or pipe and the smoke exhaled by the smoker) plays a role in causing or contributing to a number of health problems, from cardiovascular disease to cancer. There is no safe amount of secondhand smoke (SHS). Children, pregnant women, older people and people with heart or breathing problems should be especially careful.

What is Second hand Smoke?

When a cigarette is smoked, about half of the smoke is inhaled/exhaled (mainstream smoke) by the smoker and the other half comes directly from the burning tobacco product (sidestream smoke). The combination of mainstream and sidestream smoke makes up environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), also known as Secondhand smoke or tobacco smoke pollution. ETS has been shown to produce more particulate-matter (PM) pollution than an idling low-emission diesel engine.

Also known as Passive smoking, Second hand Smoke plays a part in more health problems than you might realize. Secondhand smoke is a toxic cocktail consisting of poisons and carcinogens. There are over 4000 chemical compounds in secondhand smoke; 200 of which are known to be poisonous, and 69 have been identified as carcinogens.

The dangerous particles in secondhand smoke can linger in the air for hours. Breathing them even for a short time, for as little as 20 or 30 minutes, can harm you in a variety of ways.

What are the health risks associated with Second hand Smoke?

There are numerous detrimental health effects of passive smoking. Many of the risks are similar to those associated with actually smoking a cigarette, pipe or cigar. The risks outlined below have been linked with passive smoking:

• Scientific evidence show an increased risk of lung cancer in non-smokers exposed to secondhand smoke. This increased risk is estimated at 20% in women and 30% in men who live with a smoker. Non-smokers exposed to secondhand smoke in the workplace have a 16 to 19% increased risk of developing lung cancer. The risk of presenting lung cancer increases with the degree of exposure. Secondhand smoke is also linked to cancer of the nasal sinuses.
  
• Exposure to secondhand smoke irritates the airways and has immediate harmful effects on a person's heart. It damages blood vessels, interferes with circulation and increases the risk of blood clots. It may increase the risk of heart disease by an estimated 25 to 30 percent. Continual exposure to ETS has been shown to nearly double the chance of heart attack.
• Second-hand smoke causes sore eyes and throat, nasal irritation, headaches, coughing and wheezing, nausea and dizziness.
• Passive smoking has been linked to the narrowing of the carotid arteries, which carry blood to the brain.
• Exposure to secondhand smoke hastens hardening of the arteries, a condition known as arthrosclerosis.
• Second hand smoke has been known to cause higher rates of lower respiratory infections, including bronchitis and pneumonia. Passive smoking also contributes to an increased amount of upper respiratory irritation and infections.
• Passive smoking is accountable for an increased number of ear infections. Studies have shown that there is a significant difference in the occurrences of ear infections between the children of smoking and non smoking parents.
• Not only can passive smoking harm foetus but it can also reduce the chances of getting pregnant in the first place. Female fertility can suffer because of passive smoking, making it harder to conceive a child.
• Women whose partners smoke have a higher risk of the baby not growing well in the womb. An infant who was exposed to secondhand smoke as a developing fetus may be at increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Post-birth exposure to secondhand smoke from the mother, father or others in the household also increases the risk of SIDS.

What can I do?

You can protect yourself and your loved ones by following the below mentioned tips:

• Make your home and car smoke-free. Don't allow smoking in your home or vehicle. If family members or guests want to smoke, ask them to step outside.
• Ask people not to smoke around you and your children.
• Make sure that your children's day care centre or school is smoke-free.
• Choose restaurants and other businesses that are smoke-free.
• Teaching children to stay away from smoke.
• Avoiding second hand smoke exposure especially if you or your children have respiratory conditions, if you have a heart disease and/or are pregnant.
• If your spouse or partner smokes, have him or her refrain from smoking indoors. Encourage your partner to quit smoking.
• When you absolutely must share a room with people who are smoking, sit as far away from them as possible and avoid sitting in the direction of drifting smoke.

Taking a stand on secondhand smoke will keep you much healthier and possibly even help someone you love think twice about their own unhealthy habit too.